Unsteady
by samlovescows
Summary: Professor Trelawny gazed deeply into Esmeralda Greyleaf's crystal ball. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "What is it?" the brunette inquired, eyeing the eccentric woman with curiosity. "Love," the professor beamed. Esme felt her heart sink to her feet as his infectious laugh and mess of ginger hair flooded her brain. She never imagined missing him would hurt like this. Order of the Phoenix.
1. Chapter 1: Nightmares & Kitchen Raids

Hello All!

I've been dwelling on this idea for quite some time now and finally decided that I'm happy enough with Chapter 1 to post it. Don't hesitate to give feedback!

Thanks! I hope you all enjoy! :-)

* * *

 **Chapter One: Nightmares and the Kitchen Raid**

 _As the moon quickly rose above the mansion, a blood-curdling shriek echoed from within._

 _A woman, whose exhausted expression seemed warped and unrecognizable, cowered in the corner of a rather large bedroom, her arms clutching her body as if that was all she needed to protect herself from harm._

 _A man, tall and brooding, hovered over her, his dark hair casting shadows on his menacing face. He smiled, pressing his index finger against his lips, gesturing for her to keep quiet._

 _"Please, sir, don't do this," she pleaded between cries. "I beg of you." The man scowled as he grabbed the woman by the nape of her neck and hurled her across the room. She landed with a thud onto the mattress._

 _"Silence!" he hissed._

 _She shivered as he approached her, stifling her cries in the sleeve of her nightgown. He clutched his wand in his right hand, skeleton-like fingers wrapped around it. With his left, he caressed her face, bringing his hand down to her chin and lifting her head, forcing her to meet his lecherous gaze. She closed her eyes and tensed her jaw. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead._

 _"Never speak a word about this."_

 _And everything went black._

* * *

Esmeralda Greyleaf shot up from her bed in the Slytherin dormitory, glittering with sweat and eyes widened with fear. This was hardly unusual.

Her eyes darted around the room, petrified. However, much to her relief, everything was seemingly in order. The other girls were all asleep soundly in their beds, murmurs of their soft snores were music to her ears. Without a shadow of a doubt they would be overcome with worry had they been awake to witness another of Esme's frequent nightmares.

Since she'd arrived at Hogwarts six years prior, the girl had experienced said nightmares. They started off brief and distant, yet nothing about them have drastically changed since then. The trembling woman and shadowy man were the same she'd seen when she was merely eleven.

Though, somehow, in the past year, since the renowned Harry Potter won the Triwizard Tournament, after the tragic death of Cedric Diggory and the apparent return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, the nightmares grew darker. They began to feel almost personal, as if she was there, frozen and forced only to watch as the man maliciously groped and prodded at the woman until she had no tears left to cry. Until she could no longer scream. For Esmeralda, these dreams were horrific and heart-wrenching. They were painful and scared her senseless. They tortured her mind.

As she slowly gained control of her heavy breathing, Esmeralda flung herself from her bed, deciding it was best to take a midnight stroll through the castle to clear her head. Typically on a night like this, she'd find solace amongst the house elves who stayed after hours in the kitchen, usually tidying up or for reasons she would never understand, already preparing food for the following morning. Esme wiped the sweat from her brow and tiptoed out of her dormitory and into the common room, carefully closing the door behind her.

To her surprise, Esme found that she was not alone in her struggle for a good night's rest. In the common room, the infamous Draco Malfoy paced back and forth anxiously, mumbling incoherently under his breath. He likely wouldn't have noticed Esmeralda standing there had she not cleared her throat loudly, startling him.

"Oh! Esmeralda." He swiftly took a seat on one of the green sofas. "Nightmares again?" She nodded slowly in response.

"And you?" she asked as she unconsciously toyed with a loose string on her pajamas. "What's keeping you out of bed, Malfoy?"

He shook his head profusely, looking down at his empty palms, "It's not important."

"Bullshit," Esme frowned. She scurried over to him and sat beside him on the sofa, smoothing her nightgown underneath her legs. "It must be important enough to have you awake at this hour."

Draco did not reply. His piercing grey eyes burned holes in the old rug.

"Is it your parents?" the naive girl persisted. Malfoy scowled.

"I said it's not important!" he shouted. Esme flinched before her eyes filled with sorrow.

She paused for a moment, twiddling her thumbs, unsure of what to say if anything at all. They both sat, drowning in the unbearable silence.

Looking around the room, she noticed for the first time how many Slytherin crests and flags were embellishing the walls. It was strange, she thought, to be proud to be a part of something that made others resent you.

Though she'd never admit out loud, certainly not to another Slytherin, it saddened her that the house she was sorted into brought on so much premature judgement from her peers. Surely not all students were this way, not intentionally at least, but the whispers behind her back and cruel glares in the corridors made her feel otherwise.

Esmeralda most definitely had her faults and more darkness inside of her than she'd like to admit, but she'd stand by the fact that not all Slytherins have ill intentions. There is goodness inside of every living soul, though for some, like the boy sitting beside her, that kindness is merely an afterthought. One that has you restless in the common room at twilight.

She extended her hand and placed it on Malfoy's pale cheek, stroking it cautiously with her thumb. He flinched, but hesitantly warmed up to her touch. It was quite unusual for Draco Malfoy to accept love from another person, however, he and Esmeralda had a history. Nothing official, or serious even, but the winter of his third year, her fourth, before most students left Hogwarts for Christmas break, Esme kissed Draco briefly under some mistletoe. It was short but sweet. She giggled about it, completely smitten, all night to her two best friends, Lydia Greengrass and Daisy Nelson.

She remembered clearly how his face burned red and how quickly he turned on his heel and ran down the corridor, followed with heavy footsteps by his friends Crabbe and Goyle who howled with aching, eruptious laughter, mocking the pale-haired boy with a chorus of kissing sounds.

Esmeralda moved on from Draco shortly after that, however, after the awkwardness subsided, they remained close friends.

With her clammy hand still on his face, she spoke, almost in a whisper, "You worry me, Draco Malfoy." Without meeting her gaze, Draco nudged her hand off his cheek.

"I value your concern," he began, standing from the suede couch, running his sweaty palms on his Slytherin robe and still refusing to face her. "But please don't pity me, Esme."

And with that, he retreated to his dorm.

* * *

Esmeralda gulped as she poked her head around a turn in the castle's corridor. At this time of night, the hallways were always barren. All that could be heard was the strong wind outside, causing the ancient building to groan. The candles lining the stone walls were beginning to burn out.

Raising her wand, she whispered, "Lumos," and it's tip glowed brightly enough to lead her safely to her destination.

Upon entering the kitchen, the girl expected to be greeted by maybe a handful of house elves. Her favorite, a grumpy old elf named Eckhart, always baked her the sweetest, gooiest cookies when she couldn't sleep.

Nevertheless, when Esme opened the door, hopeful, finally, for some peace, she was completely baffled by the scene before her.

The walls, the floorboards, the counter tops, were all splattered with food. Eckhart sat sound asleep next to the oven, wearing a bowl on his head like a hat. Strange batters were mixed in levitating bowls, some clumpy, some colorful, and the frying pans flipped their own ingredients. At the counter, with their backs facing her, stood two identical lanky frames with mops of flaming red hair.

"Weasleys…" she scowled.

The two boys turned around and greeted her with the two most irritating smiles she'd seen in all seventeen years of her life. In all honesty, she probably would've ignored them had it not been for the mess, and the fact that she was exhausted.

"Ah, Esmeralda Greyleaf," the one on left stated smugly, flour splattered all over his flannel pajamas, "How nice of you to finally join us."

"It's about time!" the other added. Esme shot the boys a confused glance.

"About time?"

The boy on the right, a glob of purple frosting on his cheek, replied, "We, unfortunately, haven't been able to avoid you on your midnight snack escapades since we forked over the Marauder's Map. Two years ago now, to be exact."

"Without it, we've just had to hope you wouldn't be here," said the boy on the left passively as he tasted a rather repulsive-looking goop with his finger. He continued with his mouth full, "Which, might I say, worked rather well until now."

Esmeralda eyed the boys, completely dumbstruck and at this point, rather annoyed.

"The Mar _udoor_ 's... what?" she asked with slight hesitation.

"Mar _AUDER_ 's!" they exclaimed simultaneously, teleporting behind the puzzled girl, causing her to jump. She turned to face them.

Fred explained, "The Marauder's Map allowed us to track everyone's whereabouts in the castle at all times."

"Including yours," added George.

"Oh..." Esmeralda's face flushed with worry. She paused before asking, a slight tremble in her voice, "How long have you been able to do that?"

The twins laughed. George placed a hand on Esme's shoulder before saying, "Don't worry about it too much."

Esmeralda swatted his hand away, clearly irritated that nothing the boys were telling her made much sense.

Fred continued, "Yeah, you're not the only student who's been up to no good."

"You probably ought to get a bit more rest, though," George muttered as he walked over to where Fred was standing.

This made Esmeralda's heart fall as she recalled the reason why she'd been out of bed so often. It was strange. For a moment, she'd forgotten.

"I'm not up to anything, really..." She was interrupted by the overwhelming feeling of a presence behind her.

"What in Merlin's name is going on in here?" Professor Snape inquired.

Startled, all three of them spun swiftly on their feet, facing the cloaked professor. His greasy, black hair only complimented his sullen and horrific expression. Snape strided into the room, swishing his wand through the air causing the mess to clean itself. Pots and pans flew through the air and back into the cupboards, the counters wiped themselves clean, and all the spilled piles of "food" seemed to disappear. Esmeralda stepped forth and cleared her throat, shaking with fear as she began to speak.

"I was just getting some water, sir. They made the mess."

"Hey!" both boys exclaimed in unison. Esmeralda looked over her shoulder, shooting them a look as if to say, 'Well, it's true.'

"Miss Greyleaf," Snape began, slowing stepping towards her. "I am especially disappointed to see one of my own gallivanting with these two blubbering baboons. Five points from Slytherin."

Esmeralda winced as she thought about her house. What would they think had they heard she'd been caught in the middle of the night with none other than _Weasleys_? She herself had never known a Weasley well enough to judge, but every Slytherin she'd encountered insisted they were no good.

"And for us?" the redhead inquired.

Snape smiled cunningly, tapping his fingers against his wand.

"You'll be serving a week's detention in my office. Hopefully this time that will suffice."

Esmeralda looked back at the twins mockingly, the tiniest hint of a grin tugging at her lips.

"Along with you, Miss Greyleaf," the professor added. The two boys stifled laughs, making Esme sigh and roll her eyes.

It was frustrating how the two could make such a joke out of this serious situation. Esmeralda Greyleaf _did not_ receive detentions. Especially not from Professor Snape, the head of her house, who she respected greatly and worked so hard to impress.

"Off to bed. _Now_. Before I make it two," Snape threatened as he turned and exited the room.

As soon as he was gone, the room filled with enough tension to feed a horse if it were edible Esme was fuming, her hands balled up in fists.

"You absolute gits! This is your fault!" she yelled, stomping towards the twins, who appeared rather amused. "I have been coming to this kitchen almost every night since my first year and not once have I received a detention!"

Fred and George backed up into the counter, Esmeralda pointing her finger in their surprised faces.

"How many times have you been caught, huh?"

The twins looked at each other before Fred replied with a bit of a proud grin, "A few, I'd say."

"A few," she repeated, a sliver of exhaustion in her voice as her eyes began to well up with tears. "Maybe for you that's not so bad. But for some people, magic is more than just a joke."

And just like that, she stormed out, leaving the Weasley boys baffled in the kitchen.

* * *

Thanks for reading! I encourage you, if you're interested, to follow, favorite and/or review!

Stay tuned for Chapter 2!


	2. Chapter 2: Detention & the Opal Necklace

**Chapter Two: Detention and the Opal Necklace**

Esmeralda Greyleaf's nightmares had only worsened, becoming more and more vivid as the weekend passed. To make matters worse, she had been feeling particularly _unmotivated_ , for lack of a better word, to spend her insomniac evenings in the kitchen. Not only for fear she'd be caught, Dolores Umbridge, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, now patrolling the school like a hawk, but that she'd again be faced with unwanted company.

By the time Monday rolled around, Esme was not at all feeling up to an evening in detention with Professor Snape and the Weasleys. The lack of sleep had made her irritable to say the least.

"If I hear so much as a peep from this room while I'm gone, I will not hesitate to add more severity to your punishments, understood?" Snape threatened.

Esmeralda nodded slowly, along with the twins who smiled mischievously at him.

The professor turned to exit the room, muttering agitatedly under his breath, his cloak feathering behind him as he walked.

The Potions classroom had always been rather grim - grey stone walls, grey stone floors. The old wooden cupboards were dulling and no longer polished, their windows fingerprinted and smudged, some shattered. Though the room hadn't changed, its atmosphere had shifted completely with only three students occupying it. That, combined with the tension between said students, made Esme sure she was in for a long evening.

Two hours, she reminded herself, a sponge dripping in her hands. Only two hours of scrubbing and polishing every cauldron, vial and beaker Snape owned beside Fred and George Weasley. And not to mention, without the use of magic. It took all her willpower to convince herself she could handle it, that she'd make it through without internally combusting.

"Hey, Georgie," Fred whispered, nudging his twin brother. "You think she's still upset with us?" George looked over at Esmeralda, who furiously wiped the inside of a small cauldron, scraping the bottom with her fingernail.

The girl sat a few desks away from the boys, deciding it best to keep her distance. Esme wasn't typically an easily angered person, but when tampered with, tiptoeing around her temper proved itself to be exceedingly difficult.

"I'd say so, Fred," George concluded.

The two boys snickered, each earning a warning glare from the brunette. They kept quiet for a moment, relishing in the gratification it brought to see her so affected by them.

The three quietly continued sanitizing the Potion's supplies from a substantial stack, completely ignoring each other's presences. The containers, stacked on top of themselves, towered almost to the ceiling. It almost seemed impossible to finish it all in only two hours without magic.

Professor Snape was a real connoisseur when it came to cruel and unusual punishment.

Not long later, the twins grew antsy, unable to hold themselves together for so long. Taking note of this, Esmeralda braced herself, patting her hip to reassure her that her wand had not somehow been misplaced.

 _Desperate times call for drastic measures_ , she repeated over and over again in her head.

This time, George turned to Fred, whispering inaudibly to his twin, occasionally glancing over at Esme, who, at this point, had cleaned more than half the amount they did combined.

"Do you reckon she ever smiles?" asked George, jokingly, to his brother.

"Doubt it. If I didn't know any better I'd assume she's got dementors for roommates, the poor thing," she overheard Fred reply with a laugh.

She huffed and slammed a newly cleaned beaker on the desk, her face grew hot and her hands began to tremble with humiliation and rage.

Without looking either twin in the eye, Esmeralda waved her wand in the air and whispered, "Silencio."

And just like that, the room fell silent once more. She smirked with satisfaction as she watched the twins struggle to speak, their mouths sealed shut from her spell.

* * *

Approximately two hours later, towards the end of their detention, Esmeralda sighed rather dramatically as she placed the last cleaned container in her pile. She was, in all honesty, surprised by her ability to get everything glistening with perfection in so little time. For only a split second, Esme was grateful her mother taught her to wash dishes the muggle way, with soap and water, though the thought made her cringe.

The twins, on the other hand, were still struggling through their mountainous stack. Somehow, the cauldrons they had cleaned appeared grungier than they did before. Some were even still covered in cobwebs.

Esmeralda chuckled a bit to herself as she watched Fred and George grow more and more frustrated with their chores, banging their containers onto the countertop as if doing so would assist the process.

Snape then barged into the classroom, analyzing it slowly and carefully. He must've been suspicious, Esmeralda realized, to not have had any issues with the trio causing a ruckus. Worried, she opened her mouth to speak, thinking of a way to blame the twins for the use of the spell, but Snape looked at her knowingly and nodded with approval. His lips curved upward almost unnoticeably in a way that could've easily been mistaken for been a smile.

The girl sighed, relieved. Snape simply unsealed the twins' lips with a swish of his wand.

"Dismissed," he said in a low voice.

Esmeralda had gathered her things and scurried out of the classroom before the word was fully spoken, almost ramming into Snape at the threshold. Esme cursed the ability of her wide frame and stubby legs as she headed toward the Slytherin common room, her bed calling her name.

"Merlin, she's uptight," George muttered to his brother.

"I'll say." replied Fred. The boys sat in silence for a moment, pondering the disaster that had just unfolded. "We are going to get her back, though - aren't we, Georgie?"

"Absolutely."

* * *

Esmeralda entered the Slytherin common room, her cheeks flushed red. It was as crowded as any other evening, most students just retiring for the night.

Her two best friends, the pug-faced and plump Daisy Nelson sat with Lydia Greengrass, a natural beauty, on the sofa. Across from them was Draco Malfoy, who she hadn't spoken to since the night of the Kitchen Incident. They each had their nose in a textbook, likely studying for the Herbology exam she'd just remembered they had the following afternoon.

"How was the detention, babe?" Daisy teased, spitting between her snaggle-tooth, twirling her stiff blonde hair in her fat fingers.

The others looked up at her, awaiting a response. Lydia had completely abandoned her Herbology textbook, placing it beside her on the mahogany end table. Draco, on the other hand, remained half-focused on his studies, likely researching the behaviors of the Venomous Tentacula, a plant Madame Pomphrey described as very dangerous. They'd been studying it for weeks.

"Fine."

Esme flung herself onto the couch beside Draco, who tensed, scooting further from her. She hung her head over the arm and peered up at the ceiling, a blank expression on her face. Esme closed her eyes for a moment, realizing then how exhausted she truly was. Being able to shut her eyes, even if only for a second, Esme felt her lack of sleep catching up with her.

"Don't worry too much, Esme. It's only four more days," said Lydia, her voice silky and soothing. Feeling a warm hand on her knee, she looked over, meeting her friend's reassuring hazel eyes.

Lydia had always been the most concerned with Esmeralda's well-being, ever since their second year, when she'd witnessed one of her worse nights. Esme could never forget how Lydia stayed up with her until morning, making certain her mind wouldn't wander in the wrong direction, pumping her full of candies her father bought from Wales on an expedition. They'd been inseparable since. If Esmeralda hadn't known any better, she'd swear that Lydia Greengrass was the kindest Slytherin at Hogwarts, if not the entirety of England.

"Easy for you to say," mumbled Esme as she went right back to her previous position.

"Snape's punishments really are that bad?" inquired Daisy. Draco sneered and shook his head to himself.

"What's his deal?" Esmeralda asked, shoving the boy beside her with her foot.

"What's my deal?" retorted Draco, slamming his textbook shut. "Why don't you tell me, Esmeralda? Go on, I'm sure we'd all _love_ to know how you earned that detention in the first place."

Esmeralda looked up at everyone's expecting eyes, her heart pounding in her chest.

"It's none of anyone's business, you twit," she defended.

"Tell them. Or I will," he threatened.

"You wouldn't."

"Try me," Draco warned. After not receiving more than a glare from Esmeralda, Draco turned to the two girls. "Esmeralda has been sneaking around with _Weasley_ scum behind our backs. She's vile."

Just like that, Draco Malfoy had transformed. He was the epitome of unpredictable. A few nights ago, he was at his most vulnerable, allowing Esme to touch him and see him shiver. It only took the presence of his classmates for him to rebuild his walls and put up the front everyone knew him for.

"Is that true?" Lydia asked calmly, but disapproving.

"Who cares if it is? They're pure bloods, it's no big deal" Daisy let out a laugh.

"You must be naive to think that all pure blooded wizards are equal, Esmeralda. Have you seen their robes? Hand-me-downs. All of them."

"They're muggle-loving blood traitors," Draco added with a scowl.

"It's foul," Daisy spat.

Esmeralda hesitated, feeling defeated.

"Oh, enough!" Lydia exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "It's not right to make assumptions. Certainly she wouldn't do such a thing without telling us about it... would you, Esme?" She directed that last part at her messy-haired friend, who now sat upright on the couch.

She was completely baffled and even more so, confused. Despite being raised to show compassion for every living soul, Esme's morals had changed drastically as soon as she came to Hogwarts. Fellow Slytherins had instilled in her to patronize her peers had they not been pure blooded and proud.

However, sympathy bubbled up inside of Esmeralda as her friends teased the redheaded boys and their family. She tried her hardest to suppress it, feeling like traitor herself for even considering feeling sorry for her tormented classmates. But she'd never understood cruelty for the sake of being cruel and this was no different.

It was conflicting to say the least.

All she knew was that she had no desire to continue the conversation that evening. The back-and-forth thoughts were making her exhausted brain throb. Her head felt as though it was on the verge of exploding.

Three pairs of eyes burning holes into her, she stood from the couch, said goodnight and headed into the girl's dormitory. Draco scoffed, a smug look on his face.

"Told you." Daisy snickered, high-fiving the proud boy.

"Idiot!" Lydia cried, throwing her Herbology textbook right at Draco's unexpecting mug. She marched after Esmeralda, her hair flowing behind her like an endless river of molasses.

* * *

Esmeralda Greyleaf sat at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall the following morning, an empty plate in front of her. Apparently, she had been too far into her own head to reach for any breakfast, earning a look of concern from her raven-haired friend and a few staff members. Professor Flitwick had passed the table several times, squinting at Esme suspiciously each time he did.

Tension spread like wildfire as rumors of Esmeralda's supposed scandals went from ear to ear of each and every Slytherin at Hogwarts. She cringed at every whisper and glare in her direction. Her stomach hurt so bad she was rather grateful she hadn't yet eaten.

At the table, her two best friends sat beside her, Draco with the fifth years, that much hadn't changed. But today, the conversation was non-existent. Daisy scarfed down her food as per usual, letting out a loud belch after she'd scraped her plate clean, then immediately moved to sit with Pansy Parkinson instead. Lydia stayed, quietly munching on some toast, glancing uncomfortably at Esme every chance she could.

All of a sudden, as if answering her prayers, their owls flew in from the windows, distracting the students from the awkwardness that filled the room. Smiles spread across the faces of many Hogwarts students, eager to receive gifts and well wishes from their families and loved ones back home. Esmeralda, on the other hand, hadn't expected a thing. Sometimes she wondered the purpose of owning an owl to begin with.

It was the same every time. When the owls would come in, squawking and shrieking with delight, dropping loot for their owners to brag about, Esmeralda would look down at her plate, hopeful that maybe her favorite and only aunt would've written her for a change. But her owl was surely always nowhere to be found.

Today was hardly different, however, as Esmeralda scraped her fork around the empty ceramic dish, feeling defeated, a familiar hoot called in her ear.

"Polly?" Esmeralda whispered with wonder. The bird nodded happily, a small parcel wrapped in pink ribbon tied around her foot. "Is it from Aunt Mathilda?"

The bird shook its head. Esmeralda frowned. She untied the ribbon and tore open the brown paper.

Inside was, admittedly, the most beautiful opal pendant she had ever seen. It was delicate, reflecting more colors than Esme knew existed when the light hit it the right way. It's chain was dainty and made from the purest gold.

She unscrolled the letter next. In neat, but swirly handwriting, it read:

 _My dearest Esmeralda,_

 _I've enchanted this necklace with a protection spell. It belonged to your grandmother. Please take good care of it and wear it around your neck at all times. We are headed towards dark times, sweetheart. I can feel it._

 _Hope to hear from you soon. Miss you lots._

 _All my love,_  
 _Mum_

Esmeralda rolled her eyes. She crumpled the letter and stuffed the necklace into her pocket, reminding herself to get rid of it as soon as possible. Perhaps she'd bury it in the gardens or feed it to a hippogriff; whatever it took to get it out of sight and out of mind.

Despite its undeniable beauty, Esme wanted nothing to do with the charmed heirloom if it came from that vile woman she unfortunately had to called her mother.

"Are you alright?" Lydia asked, wiping her hands on a cloth napkin.

"What do you care?" Esme mumbled.

She got up from the table and exited the Great Hall. There were better and more important things to focus on, like the Herbology exam she was certain she'd fail if she didn't cram before class.

* * *

The autumn wind grew stronger as the afternoon inched closer to its peak, whipping her hair across her face. After her exam, Esmeralda decided she would go for a stroll outside the castle to clear her head. Though the day hadn't been particularly eventful, the letter from her mother had been enough to keep her deep in thought.

 _We are headed towards dark times, sweetheart. I can feel it._

What did that mean? Could her mother have been gullible enough to support Potter's claims? To Esme, it certainly wouldn't have come as much of a surprise.

"Oi! Esmeralda!" called a familiar voice from behind. She whipped around only to be greeted by two identical figures running towards her. She sighed, cursing them for their horrible timing.

They had been wearing matching jumpers, which would've made it nearly impossible to tell them apart had it not been for the initials knitted into the fronts. Esmeralda held herself back from laughing at how tacky they both were.

"You dropped this," Fred panted, the necklace dangling from his outstretched hand.

"Keep it," Esme said with a forced smile.

"Blimey! It looks rather expensive!" exclaimed George. "We couldn't do that."

"Really, I insist," Esme began, pushing Fred's hand away, "You'll be doing me a favor."

"What makes you think we owe you any favors?" George teased, his brow raised at her. Esmeralda laughed lightly in response.

"See you in detention," she said simply as she rushed away.

The two boys looked at each other in confusion. The necklace still glittered in Fred's hand.

"Is it just me, or was that rather odd?" asked George.

"It's just you," Fred joked, earning an elbow to the ribs from his twin brother. "Ow! I was only joking you ape!"

* * *

Much to Esmeralda's delight, detention that evening had gone smoothly. This time, Snape had them organizing the supplies cupboard. She wondered if detention just meant housework for every teacher at Hogwarts. Fred and George kept quiet, only sometimes looking up at Esme before sticking their noses back into the dusty cabinets. She couldn't tell if they were distracted or up to something.

The latter, in all honesty, was a tad intimidating. Esmeralda was just grateful they didn't bother her that night. Instead, she got two hours of peace, her mind free to wander as she stacked potion's equipment.

Still, she laid awake in her bed, staring into the dark abyss at the ceiling. The night was gentle. All the other girls had gone to bed hours before, the sounds of quiet snoring along with the pitter-patter of rain filled the room.

Esmeralda let out a disgruntled sigh. She missed her friends. In the moment, she didn't really think much of it, but perhaps they were right. It only made sense that some wizards were born and raised to be better than others.

It was then she was reminded of her own upbringing. She thought of the house on Canary Lane where she lived most of her childhood with her mother. Where she learned to walk and talk and ride a bike, her mint green beach cruiser, when she was six. Where she swam in puddles of mud until the sun went down and crawled into bed at dawn.

On the surface, it seemed like the perfect life.

But surely her friends would've thought differently of her had they known the truth about it. She couldn't help but wonder, though out of her control, if it made her a disgrace to her pureblood name, just like the Weasleys had been.

Just then, Esmeralda stiffened and shut her eyes as she heard one of her roommates shuffle in their bed. A night light flicked on.

"Esme?" Lydia whispered as she crawled out of her bed.

Esmeralda rolled onto her side, refusing to face Lydia as she sat beside her.

"I know you're awake you goon," the girl chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

She nudged Esme's motionless body but received no response. Lydia sighed, swallowing her pride, reminding herself again and again to do what she thought was right rather than what others expected of her.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry… I really am," she continued, "I know you haven't been sneaking 'round behind our backs."

Esmeralda still refused to respond.

Lydia added, "And it wouldn't matter if you have been. Your life is nobody's business but your own."

With that, she sat up, deciding her friend's apology was sincere enough. She wouldn't for a minute have thought that Lydia was deceiving her, even if she was capable of doing so, but figured she shouldn't forgive so easily.

"You know, you make it really difficult to stay angry with you." Lydia smiled brightly, wrapping her arms around Esmeralda, who was smiling as well.

They broke apart, savoring the comfortable silence for a moment.

"Do you think they're right?" Esmeralda asked. "That some wizards are unworthy, I mean," she clarified.

"Draco and Daisy's hearts are in the right place, I think. They're just a bit less... sensible than others." Lydia reassured with a shrug. "Though perhaps there is some truth to it, I don't think one wizard should be able to dictate what the lot of us think or believe."

"You're right," she admitted, pondering what her friend said, "It just gets so confusing sometimes."

"You could say that again," Lydia said with a roll of her eyes. Both girls giggled.

"Try and get some rest," she suggested a few moment later.

Lydia returned to her own bed, tiptoeing to be sure she wouldn't disturb anyone's slumber. She looked over at Esmeralda and smiled before turning off the night light.

"Goodnight, Esmeralda."

"Night."

Before nodding off, Esmeralda said a quick thank you to the universe, or whoever was listening, for giving her a friend like Lydia. Though things weren't fully in perspective, Esmeralda believed they would never be, her mind was now peaceful enough to get some much-needed sleep.

* * *

Thanks so much for reading! Chapter 3 should be up sometime next week. :-)


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